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Saturday, November 28, 2015

Thanksgivin' // Modesty

Well, another weekend is upon us. The next weekend will be December. Um...how did that happen? Let's reminisce about this month's holiday before getting ahead of ourselves. ;)

My Thanksgiving outfit was about as autumnal as it gets, featuring a cozy sweater, gold tights, boots, knee socks, and a denim skirt! And don't you like all the pretty leaves surrounding me? Between visiting family and heading home so dinner could get started, we did a photo-shoot at a pretty park. It was COLD, but worth it. ;)

I will not get into detail in this post, but it is related to the reasoning behind modesty. I would advise adult guidance for particularly young, impressionable girls.

Modesty, a topic close to my heart, is an issue that evokes many opinions and emotions. Today I will take three claims that a person might make about modesty and respond to them in what I hope is a Biblical manner. Though both believers and unbelievers might make these comments, I will be addressing the issue in the context of encouraging other Christians.

Claim #1: "You're saying that it's a woman's fault if a man sins."

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.-Romans 14:13

Each person is responsible for his or her own sins. Adam blamed Eve for his original sin and God still cursed him. It is not okay for a man to sin against a woman and say "Well, the way she dressed made me do/think/say that, so it's all her fault."

However, that doesn't take away all responsibility as women. We should not make it easier for our brothers to sin. I like to think of it this way: if you know someone has an anger issue, would it be appropriate for you to purposely push their buttons? If you do that and they get angry at you, would it be right for you say "I didn't know they were going to do that! They need just to simmer down..." ? Help your brothers in Christ to live godly lives, and be an example of Christ to the world.

Claim #2: "You're teaching women to be ashamed of their bodies."

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.-Genesis 3:7

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.-Genesis 3:21

The Lord made Adam and Eve and pronounced them "very good" with rest of His creation. After sin entered the world, the first man and woman became aware that they were naked. They sewed themselves leaf coverings, but later the Lord covered them with skin. If God thinks clothing is important, so should His children!

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.-I Corinthians 6:-19-20

As believers, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit! Though fallen, they are not sinful in and of themselves. We as Christian women, are actually respecting our bodies by not defiling them (defiling meaning "spoiling" or "ruining"). This definitely doesn't teach that we should be ashamed of our bodies.Rather, our bodies are instruments of glorification to God. Does the way you dress bring glory to yourself or to your Lord?

Claim #3: "You're saying a woman has it coming to her if she doesn't dress the way you think she should."

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.-Ephesians 5:15-16

Wisdom is something the Bible speaks of often, and is something a Christian indwelt by the Spirit should seek. If we are dressing wisely, we will know that what we wear really does affect those around us. Now, I'm not saying that a very evil person won't do a very evil thing, no matter what. Sadly, this is the way our world is. I am saying that we should use caution with our mode of dress. We can ask ourselves if what we are wearing is likely to draw inappropriate attention. It doesn't have to be about putting ourselves in bondage with a strict set of man-made rules, or beating ourselves up if we slip. We should be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

~

Not everyone who dresses modestly has the right reasons or attitudes, or even a relationship with Christ. This is no reason to discount modesty entirely. If you are a Christian, but not sold on the idea of modesty, please give it some thought. I hope this post has helped. :)

14 comments:

Paige, you look so warm and cozy in your pretty grey sweater. I love all the fall leaves around the scenery. I like how you put together your thoughts and bible verses together so perfectly. This time of year when sales are luring consumers to buy. We need to think more deeply is this appropriate for modest christian women to wear and stand firm on your beliefs and not cave in to peer pressure and society's less standards. Thank you for such a honest heart felt post. Blessings, Stephanie M.

Love your outfit Paige! Especially the sweater. Actually, I have one that looks just like it. It's a staple for my winter wardrobe! I really appreciated your thoughts on modesty. I keep seeing these articles/info graphs on Pinterest that are assuring girls they can wear what ever they want--if anything happens it's the guy's fault. I keep wanting to tell them ,"No! You're missing the whole point!" Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I love your mustard tights! It is definitely a cute way to bring some color to a neutral palette. Thank you for writing your thoughts on modesty. I completely agree with you! I'm so thankful to have a blogger friend that I can look up to :)

I really like how you backed everything up with scripture! People get this weird idea that dressing modestly means dressing dull or dowdy. Which is so not the case! I like the fact in your second point that it was when they realized they were naked, that Adam and Eve felt ashamed, not when they had proper clothes. I just want Christian girls to dress is a way that Glorifies Christ and also reflect their personalities makes them smile. It is possible to do both. Especially when you are 100% surrendered to Jesus!

cute outfit ^_^ I've always been frustrated with the modern mentality that a girl can wear a miniskirt and bikini top in a dark alley and then be offended when a guy whistles at her. Come on, you KNOW you're dressing for male attention. On the other hand, yes, it's a guy's fault if he can't control himself around a woman (and when a woman is assaulted, let's not automatically say "well what was she wearing/doing?")...but on the other hand, we should dress in a way that doesn't stumble our brothers in christ (as you said)....on the other hand...THERE IS NO OTHER HAND